'I didn't know where my son was.' 11-year-old boy with autism takes Uber to JFK Airport without parents knowing
Ring video shows Jamel Johnson getting into an Uber at 5:55 a.m. without any parent supervision.
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It was a scary moment for a Velley Stream family when their 11-year-old son with autism made it all the way to John F. Kennedy International Airport by himself early Sunday morning.
Ring video shows Jamel Johnson getting into an Uber at 5:55 a.m. without any parent supervision. His parents say they woke up in a panic when they realized their son wasn’t at home.
“It was a feeling I wouldn't want any other mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle to ever experience,” said Jamel’s mom, Tenesha Johnson as she tried to hold back tears. “I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know where my son was.”
When they checked their security camera, they saw the black car pull up and their son get in with a suitcase.
“We're literally in frantic mode at that point,” said Jamel’s dad, also named Jamel Johnson.
When Johnson Sr. called his missing phone, Port Authority police at JFK answered. Jamel said he was trying to get to Japan but was stopped at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers because he did not have a ticket.
Both parents say running away from home isn’t uncommon with kids on the autism spectrum. However, they’re angry at how far an 11-year-old got without anybody questioning him.
“He looks like a child,” Tenesha Johnson said. “Why would you get let him get in your car and pull off?”
“It is really about getting the awareness of any family that has a child on the spectrum,” Jamel Johnson Sr. said. “This could happen to you. And Uber itself needs to be more mindful of not just allowing anyone to get into their vehicles.”
The Port Authority said in a statement to News 12 that the boy was found by staff around 6:30 a.m. at JFK’s Terminal 1. Police took him to their post, had emergency services check him out and found him to be fine.
Uber has a strict no minors policy unless they are with an adult. It's unclear why Jamel was allowed to get into the Uber on his own.
News 12 reached out to the ride share company but had not heard back as of Sunday night. The Johnson’s are in touch with the company's Trust and Safety Department.
